Olympic rowing veteran trains with Calpe crew

A 68-year-old Olympian rower, Lenny Robertson, took to the Bay of Gibraltar yesterday to row with the Calpe Rowing Club.

Mr Robertson won a silver medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics as a member of the British boat rowing eight.

He also competed in the 1972 and 1980 Summer Olympics, and later became head coach at the Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association.

Mr Robertson has also won the Henley Royal Regatta multiple times.

L to R: Lenny Robertson, Nicky Prior, Leslie Grech and Shane Shacaluga.

This is not the first time Mr Robertson has rowed with Calpe, having joined the team last year during a race in Seville. The Calpe and Mr Robertson won the veterans race in Seville.

This time Mr Robertson decided to join Calpe on their home ground.

Mr Robertson met local rower Shane Shacaluga when he was rowing as a student at Nottingham Trent University for Notts County, and decided to join Shane and the Calpe for a training session.

Speaking about the Calpe Mr Robertson said they were a “really good group” who have a lot of potential as well as very good coaches.

“The training was very hard, and you can tell they are being led in the right direction,” Mr Robertson said.

Mr Robertson commended the Club for having lots of young rowers who are dedicated to the sport.

“Rowing is a fantastic sport,” told the Chronicle.

“There’s lot of discipline in rowing and it helps people in life, and how to learn the rules of life.”

Out on the water Mr Robertson was joined by a crew of all ages which included Mr Shacaluga, Jeremy King, Julian Wahnon, and Mark Walker who was coxing.

The youngest rowing alongside Mr Robertson were Julian Wahnon and Jeremy King, both in their early 20s.

His advice for young rowers was “to listen to your coach”.

“You might be technically good, but a good coach will make all the difference,” Mr Robertson said.